Teaching as Stewardship

All that I am and all that I have are gifts from a loving God, so that I can get to know, love and serve God and others. In the becoming all that I am, God placed role models of love and service to others in my life, as well as the desire to seek a relationship with Him. At the tender age of 6 years old, I learned the answer to a most important question, “What is the purpose of life?” Fortunately the Baltimore Catechism had the answer, “The purpose of life is to know, love, and serve God with all of your heart, mind, and soul.” Little did I know at that time, that the answer would take a lifetime of knowing, loving, and serving God through serving others one day at a time. As I grew to be an adult, I discovered that among the gifts that this loving God had given me were a passion to learn, a deep and abiding love of children, and the mission of helping children to recognize and celebrate God’s gifts to them. I have been entrusted with these gifts from God and it is my responsibility to be a good steward of these gifts. The calling of a teacher means that you are to make a difference in their lives by the decisions you make and the words you chose to use. I found that with God all things are possible and that without God, I don’t have what it takes to be a teacher. After teaching for many years, I can truly state that God’s constant love for me and my willingness to entrust these children with God has made all of the difference. When my love and patience runs short, then it is God’s love and patience flowing through me like a river to these children. In this daily walk with God, I have come to better understand that “I live, and move, and have my being in God”. It is through God’s refreshing Word and the sacrament of Eucharist, that I am spiritually fed and sustained by God. It is with this knowledge and sustenance that I can confidently proclaim that I will go out into the world to love and serve God and others with joy and singleness of heart.~ Dona Breen, church member